Browns' draft still affected by Deshaun Watson trade. Team without first
CLEVELAND (AP) — The NFL draft used to be a major event in Cleveland, viewed as a springtime Super Bowl for a team that’s never been to one.
There was a buzz. It’s gone.
The team’s franchise-shifting trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson two years ago has once again made the three-day draft almost an afterthought.
Like fans across the league, the Browns will watch as players get picked on Day One again.
For the third straight year, Cleveland is without a first-round pick after shipping three of them along with a handful of late-round selections to the Houston Texas in 2022 for Watson, who has yet to deliver a championship or even a playoff win.
Watson’s two seasons with the Browns have been, well, incomplete.
He’s played in just 12 games because of a league suspension and right shoulder injury, and there’s no way to predict if he’ll ever get back to Pro Bowl form, though he showed positive signs before getting hurt last season.